


Making an Exhibition of...

by pi_meson



Series: The voice, the scientist and the chef. [1]
Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Crack, M/M, Mild Kink, Oral Sex, spoilers for episode 34: A Beautiful Dream
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-12
Updated: 2015-09-19
Packaged: 2018-04-08 23:40:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4325292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pi_meson/pseuds/pi_meson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carlos has a kink.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Closet

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks, Valda, for letting me borrow Exhibitionist!Carlos.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Was Cecil sucked **into** a closet or sucked **in** a closet in episode 34?
> 
> Carlos plans to interrupt Cecil's broadcast from the school gym and accidentally reveals a kink.

Cecil smiled and waved at the face peering through the reinforced glass window in the door of the elementary school gym. He signalled for Carlos to come in quietly. Carlos grinned and pushed the door open slowly, careful to make as little sound as possible. He removed his shoes, picked them up in one hand by the back of the heels and tiptoed over to where Cecil continued his broadcast. Apart from Carlos, Cecil and a blinking computer screen, the gym was empty. 

Cecil typed a message on the computer screen.  
_Computer set off siren, all ran._  
Carlos replied the same way.  
**Probably a fire or security alarm triggered by a power surge. How long have we got?**  
_No, I programmed it. Weather in 2 min._  
Carlos looked around the gym then kissed the top of Cecil's head, slid a hand inside Cecil's striped cropped tunic. He reached over Cecil to type.  
**How long's the weather?**  
_long enough & programmed computer to say some stuff after if we're busy ;P_  
**I've never sucked anyone off in a closet before.**  
Carlos crouched down to kiss the back and side of Cecil's neck below his headphones. Cecil suppressed a snort and a giggle. Carlos pulled at Cecil's arm and pointed to the green-painted pine door a few feet to their left.  
"Uh, ladies and gentlemen, there is a... a vacuum, uh, pulling me into the custodial closet..."

Cecil had to stretch to cue the weather and disconnect his headphones. Carlos almost dragged him off his feet in his haste to reach the closet door, headphones still on with cable trailing. Cecil laughed and kissed Carlos, hands in Carlos's beautiful hair while Carlos reached behind Cecil to pull the door closed then held Cecil's waist, waltzing them both through a half turn.  
"Mmm dark in here." Cecil grinned. "Find your way alright?"  
Carlos sniggered. "I think my senses of touch and proprioception should cope. If not," he hooked his fingers under the elastic waistband of Cecil's favourite paisley patterned palazzo pants and eased them halfway down his hips, "I'm sure you will, um, help me out, commando Palmer!"

Cecil leaned back against the rectangular porcelain sink behind him. Carlos giggled. "Mmhmm, was that cold? Want me to warm you up?"  
Cecil felt Carlos's hands cup his buttocks and rub gentle circular shapes. "Carlos honey, warm front's gonna blow over real quick if... Oh! Oh ye--"  
Carlos kissed Cecil, moved one hand to stroke his growing erection and fumbled in his lab-coat pocket with the other. He produced a square foil packet, opened it and gave the condom to Cecil. Carlos dropped to his knees.

"Uh, _so_ much hurry!" Cecil giggled as Carlos licked and nibbled the inside of his thigh. "Okay, done."  
Carlos mouthed at Cecil's balls and worked his lips and tongue up the shaft of Cecil's cock to the head. He sucked the head into his mouth and hummed a low-pitch note around it. Cecil responded with a groan and a twitch. Carlos clasped one gentle hand around the shaft of Cecil's penis and stroked Cecil's balls with the other. Cecil leaned back, his ass against the chilly ceramic sink, his head thrown back, bumping the edge of the shelf behind him. Cecil held on to the sides of the cupboards either side of him to anchor himself while Carlos swirled his tongue, hummed and moved his head and hands together in a firm, slow rhythm. Cecil closed his eyes and opened his mouth to gasp _faster!_

Carlos sped up, sliding his middle finger back along Cecil's perineum to tease around his entrance while his hand carefully massaged Cecil's scrotum. Cecil's breathing quickened and shallowed to a rapid pant, Carlos felt Cecil's cock twitch and matched his pace to Cecil's climax. Cecil gripped the cupboards and cried out.

Light flooded in. Cecil's eyes snapped open and he tried to cover himself, one hand over his face and the other trying to cover his groin but Carlos was still there. Carlos felt Cecil's hand in his hair and giggled. "Again, honey? Is there time?" A cough behind Carlos made him turn his head. 

"Um, your show, uh, I was listening and I... um... I thought you were being held captive in here. Uh, sorry, um..." The door closed. Cecil and Carlos heard a whistle and a giggle from the gym. Carlos laughed.  
"Carlos, this is so embarrassing!" Cecil hissed, removing the condom, dropping it in the waste bin and fixing his clothing. Carlos leaned around Cecil, one arm either side, pressing up against him, to reach the taps and wash his hands. Cecil sniggered.  
"Oh, oh I think I see... not see since it's dark again, I _feel_ your lack of embarrassment. Um, does the threat of being discovered turn you on?"  
Carlos stood perfectly still. Cecil could feel his breathing.  
"Um, scientifically speaking, I find that the heightened sense of... of the risk of _getting caught_ raises my heart rate and makes me more, umm, more responsive to erotic suggestion. Uh, if it's too weird we don't have to--"  
Cecil kissed Carlos, ground into the lump in the front of his jeans with a well-placed hip and sniggered.  
"You wait right here. I'm going to finish my show and tell that nice custodian to come back in, o-o-oh, eight minutes? Think you can wait that long to risk being seen with my mouth wrapped around your lovely--"  
Carlos kissed Cecil with hunger, took a deep breath in and stood back to let Cecil move. "You are the _best._ Make it a real quick _goodnight,_ mm?"  
Cecil smiled. "It would be mean to take so long over my show that we had to do it in the alley beside the car park, right?"  
Carlos sniggered. "I'll wait for you outside."


	2. Car ride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carlos doesn't like the look of the alley. Cecil has a better idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My head canon Cecil drives something like [ this ](http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01408/270-Lincoln_1408106i.jpg) but with a custom paint-job.

Carlos followed Cecil out of the closet, watched him settle in his chair, slight smile on his lips, and quietly slipped out of the gym. He waited in his car until he saw Cecil wander out carrying his broadcast equipment and the custodian give a cheery wave and lock the doors.

Carlos suffered an attack of doubt as he crossed the short distance between his car and Cecil's ancient Lincoln. The alley looked squalid.  
"You sure you're okay about this, babe?" Carlos furrowed his brow.  
Cecil laughed. "Is the alley too risky?" Cecil glanced at the alleyway behind him and wrinkled his nose. "On second thoughts, I don't think I could, um, _perform_ there if you know what I mean."   
Carlos nodded. Cecil packed his kit into the Lincoln's capacious trunk. "Tell you what," Cecil spoke low and slow in a tone he knew made Carlos shiver, "we could go for a ride in my car."  
Cecil sniggered. Carlos's expression was impossible for him to misinterpret. 

Cecil drove Carlos to the farthest part of the car park of the Moonlite. It was a quiet night, the other vehicles crowded close around the diner like antelopes at a watering hole. Cecil killed the engine and watched as a couple, holding hands and giggling, burst out of the swing doors, got into a beige Ford Granada and drove away. He turned to Carlos.  
"Will this do?" Carlos nodded. 

"What do you feel like doing?" Cecil asked, a giggle simmering under the question. Carlos laughed.   
"Uuh, I want to..." He weighed up the possibilities and evaluated the risk of Cecil freaking out. "Do you want to make out in the back for a while and see where it goes?"   
Cecil grinned. "Mmhmmhmm. Neat! I have not done that in... Um right, yes."  
Cecil got out and into the back seat, Carlos mirrored his actions on the other side of the car. They met again ten seconds later. Cecil smiled and sniggered, "Well hello there, handsome!"  
Carlos said nothing. He stroked Cecil's face, taking in his features, finishing with his hand under Cecil's chin and his eyes locked on his lover's. Carlos leaned forward and kissed Cecil, wrapping his other arm around Cecil's shoulders. Cecil's hands automatically went to Carlos's hair. Carlos's hand strayed slowly down Cecil's throat to the opening of his tunic, lingered for a moment and fluttered down to find its hem.

Cecil broke their kiss and giggled as Carlos's fingers found his skin. He took one hand from Carlos's hair and stroked Carlos's thigh from knee to hip, ending with his hand over Carlos's groin. Carlos shifted, leaning back a little and opening his legs farther. Cecil slowly unfastened Carlos's jeans and slipped a hand inside, massaging Carlos's balls and stiffening cock. He murmured in Carlos's ear. "Mmm, what would you like me to do with that?"  
Carlos closed his eyes and slid down, resting his head on the back of the seat, knees bumping the seats in front. He raised his hips to allow Cecil to pull his jeans and shorts down, the feel of night air on his skin providing an extra thrill that made him catch his breath. He sat forward, just perching on the seat, knees hard into the passenger seat. "Can you sit on my lap with your legs behind me? Is there enough space?"

Cecil smirked. "Mmhmm, I can probably do that, or... um... I think maybe if we push the front seats as far forward as they will go and you kneel in the footwell...? Of course, this is all hypothetical depending on the condition that a certain scientist has brought the right equipment with him." Carlos rummaged in his pocket and produced a condom. He pulled at the fabric of his lab coat, searching for his opposite pocket which yielded a bottle of lube and a latex-free glove. Cecil grinned. Carlos giggled.  
"A scientist is always well equipped. Especially for properly planned investigations."  
"O-oh?" Cecil drawled. "And what are you planning to investigate tonight?"  
Carlos pulled Cecil into his lap and kissed him softly, a hand wandering up inside Cecil's tunic to play fingertips over his nipples. "Tonight's _very_ scientific investigation is titled: how to help my wonderful boyfriend produce those beautiful sounds he makes when he's _really_ happy."

Cecil closed his eyes as car headlights swept over them then got out to push the passenger and driver's seats forward. Carlos manoeuvred himself into the space, giggling. "Ceece, I know I make fun of your vehicle sometimes but I'd never fit if we came in my car."  
Cecil swung his left leg around Carlos and sniggered. "No, we could, _ahem,_ come in your car, but not like this." He leaned back and raised his hips, pushed his stretchy pants down to mid-thigh. Cecil raised one leg, resting it on the back of the driver's seat. Carlos guided Cecil's other leg onto his shoulder. Cecil giggled. "Should anyone enter or leave the diner now, there is no hiding what we are doing here. You know that, right? You are, in fact, about to fuck your, let's be honest, pretty vocal boyfriend in a public place."

Carlos, already hard at the thought of what they were about to do, sniggered and twitched. He turned his head to bite at the fabric covering Cecil's knee. Cecil felt a cool, slick finger teasing around his entrance and relaxed back, eyes closed. He smiled. "Honey, I can't move much so I am in your hands."  
Carlos pushed one finger in slowly, watching Cecil's face change, his smile widen and his lips part. Carlos spoke, a quiet voice under the roar of a passing engine, "Ah, you look so beautiful! I want to see you, I want to watch your face as you come and know that I did this for you."  
Cecil swallowed and nodded slightly, already lost in the moment. Carlos circled his finger, added a second and felt Cecil tighten and relax around him. Cecil moaned and gripped the edge of the seat by his hips as Carlos's fingers found their target, tried to push against Carlos's hand. Carlos stroked Cecil's thigh with his free hand. "You want more already?" Cecil nodded. Carlos pushed his fingers in harder and rotated his wrist, thrusting and twisting for a slow, silent count of ten as Cecil let his head drop and his mouth open. 

Carlos removed his hand and smiled at the frown and whimper of complaint from Cecil. He added more lube and slipped the tips of three bunched fingers just inside Cecil's entrance. Cecil gasped and grinned. Carlos held Cecil's thigh tight against him. "You almost ready, babe?" Cecil nodded and breathed out _fuck, yes!_ as Carlos gradually worked his fingers, twisting and pushing, until Cecil tapped his arm and mouthed _now!_

Carlos withdrew his fingers, fumbled to pull the glove off inside out and dropped it. He lubed his cock and guided it against Cecil's entrance, letting Cecil adjust to an easier position before slowly sliding in, pausing to make sure Cecil was comfortable. Cecil gripped the edge of the seat beside him with one hand and reached behind him for the back of the seat with the other. Carlos thrust in, causing Cecil to take a sharp breath in and giggle. Carlos let Cecil's knee fall to the side, leaned forwards and kissed him, murmuring _I love you, babe_ and holding perfectly still as voices came from the doors of the Moonlite. Carlos peered up, nobody was looking their way. He wondered what they would see: Cecil's feet on the backs of the front seats, Cecil's hand gripping the back of the back seat, maybe the top of his own head. Carlos wondered if the car's soft suspension would rock and give away their repetitive motion. He moved, thrusting slow and deep into Cecil, keeping his head down by Cecil's shoulder, unable to watch his lover's face but content to listen to his sounds. Cecil breathed out a moan with every thrust. The voices grew louder, accompanied by footsteps, then quiet. Car doors slammed and headlights swept over them again.

Carlos knelt upright, hoisted Cecil's leg up so that he could grip Cecil's thigh as an anchor, thrust faster, watching Cecil's face settle into an open grin with eyebrows pushed up and head back, breathing and moaning in time with his thrusts. Carlos felt his control drop, the exciting, warm tingle in his perineum build up to a buzz that reached tendrils over his skin and up through his core to his brain. He pushed up Cecil's tunic, clasped his still-slick hand around Cecil's cock, braced his arm against his own hipbone and stroked in time with his thrusts. Carlos forced his eyes to stay open. He felt Cecil's ring of muscles tighten around him, heard his panting increase, saw his eyes roll up and his back arch as Cecil moaned out in pleasure with every wave that crashed over him.   
Cecil lay back grinning as Carlos thrust wildly for a few seconds, slowed down to give a few deeper, harder thrusts, head back, eyes closed, then held still, deep inside Cecil before collapsing forward and giggling into the bunched up folds of Cecil's tunic.

Carlos carefully eased backwards and removed his condom, dropping it on top of the discarded glove. He took off his lab coat and used it to help Cecil clean himself up, then discarded that in the footwell too. Carlos opened the car door and stepped out to stretch and fix his clothing but as Cecil made to move too, Carlos got back in. He wrapped both arms around Cecil and kissed his temple. "Ah, do we have to move yet?"   
Cecil smiled. "No, there's no hurry to be anywhere at all."   
"Mmm. Hormones make me wanna snuggle. It's science." Carlos reclined against the car door, pulling Cecil with him.   
Cecil smiled. "And, as you know, I am very into science." 

They lay with arms around each other, Carlos on his back and Cecil lying against him with his head on Carlos's chest, listening to his heartbeat. Cecil sighed. "Do you want me to take you back to collect your car? It's getting late."  
Carlos kissed the top of Cecil's head. "No, I thought maybe I could take you for some food at the diner, since we are here already, then maybe we could go back to my place. If you want to. I mean, the lab is pretty near the elementary school so I could walk over and pick up my car tomorrow and I cleaned up and I got some good coffee beans and a mallet in case you ever stayed long enough to have breakfast with me and I would... Cecil I would very much like if you would sleep over sometimes. Sometimes like tonight and some other nights and maybe other times I could sleep over at your place and it would be like... Oh, I am talking too much again. I want to be with you more, I miss you when you are not around, and since I cannot create more time for us I want to make more use of the finite supply of time that I do have and spend more of it with you. But if it's not okay--"  
Cecil grinned. "That would be neat!" He frowned into Carlos's shirt. "Unless you wanted... I am not going to want sex again tonight."  
Carlos laughed. "Fine. Cecil, will you come home with me for an evening of TV and a solid night's sleep?"


	3. A Walk In The Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Earl takes a short cut home through the locked park one night.  
> He sees some nocturnal activity that he really didn't expect.

Earl cursed his unreliable car and set off to walk home. It had been a hectic night at the restaurant, as always, and this delay in getting to bed was not welcome. But the walk eased his mood; he loved to be outdoors whatever the time or the weather and once he reached the padlocked gates of Grove Park he was almost relaxed. The air was cool without being cold, a slight breeze blew away the stifling humidity of the hot kitchen, and the hypnotic lights overhead danced for only his entertainment. 

He could go around the park. It was a decent shortcut though, and he was tired. Earl decided he should walk the long way round, but he stopped. There was a little voice in his head saying _what the heck, scout!_ and he grinned. Ten seconds later, Earl landed softly on the grass just inside the park gates. _This is so worth it,_ Earl thought, heart beating a little faster with the thrill of such a small disobedience. _About time I remembered I was a scout!_

Earl walked on the grass at the side of the gravel and ash path, shoes in his hands and silent, bare feet luxuriating in the feel of cool turf. Away from the street lights, there was only moonlight to show his way across the park.

 _Hmm, head for those trees then veer left along the asphalt path, take a right at the fountain and head to the lower gates. Climb over and walk home._  
Earl entertained himself with an internal monologue about menus, but his mind soon drifted to the sounds of the night. As he neared the trees, he picked out different insect noises and the soft hoot of an owl, answered from behind him by its mate. Earl stopped and smiled, closed his eyes, listened and heard... _"OW! Careful!"_ and a quiet snigger.

Someone else was in the park. Someone with company, lurking between the trees. Earl frowned. He stopped and put his shoes back on; if there were muggers he wanted to be able to run once he had incapacitated them with some fancy moves he remembered from his _Non-Fatal Self-Defence_ badge. He listened carefully, trying to tune out the background chirping and screeching and hooting and slithering of the park life at night.

There! Another giggle, a little higher this time. Two people, probably men, although it didn't do to jump to quick conclusions. The higher giggle sounded again, half-hidden by the breeze rustling the leaves of the trees above. _"Oh my god, Ceece, that feels so-oh-oh goo-ooh-ood. Mmm, you are amazing."_

Earl's hand flew to his mouth to stop him from calling out. _I only know one Ceece,_ he thought, _and he'd only be making one person feel that good._

Unsure what to do, Earl sat on the grass and put his chin in his hands. He'd left Cecil alone after Carlos got back, gave them space. He had avoided calling, waiting to see if Cecil would ever be ready to let him be a friend. _Ugh, maybe he only has room for one friend at a time,_ Earl sighed at himself, _and it will never be me._

Earl shook his head and shifted to his knees ready to stand up. He couldn't sit there all night, he didn't want Cecil to finish whatever he was doing to his scientist boyfriend and find Earl sitting on the grass just beside the trees. He didn't want to think of Carlos knowing he'd sat there and listened to them making out, or more, and... and _enjoyed the show._

The couple had moved into sight. 

He had to admit, Carlos looked _really_ good in a lab-coat. He looked fantastic with his shirt open and his back pushed against a tree, his pants around his ankles and Cecil touching him, stroking him, kneeling down and...

Earl could not look away. He sat, mouth hanging open, groin tingling with sudden heat, pulse speeding up and mind substituting the scientist's body with his own. 

He should call out. Warn them. Stop this before it got any more embarrassing for them all. But the thought of Cecil's lovely mouth wrapped around his cock made him distrustful of what he might shout out. Instead, Earl wriggled, feeling his hardening cock constrained by the rough denim of his jeans. He squirmed, almost groaning at the sensation of shifting pressure and friction from the straining fabric. He gave up, openly staring at those beautiful animals ahead of him, and unfastened his jeans as quietly as he could. 

He saw Carlos stroke Cecil's hair, grab on and hold him still. Earl held his breath.  
_"Uhh-uh, mmm, honey, that's so-o-o goo-ood. Aah, I want to fuck you, right here. I want you so much."_  
Earl slipped his hand inside his pants and held his balls through the cotton of his shorts. He massaged gently, almost forgetting to stifle a whimper. He pulled his cock out of his shorts and gasped as a sudden breeze ghosted cool breath across it, making the tingling heat expand and rise, hot, exciting tendrils uncoiling, reaching out... _No!_ He kept his hand still and dropped his head, tearing his gaze away from the private show to which he had not been invited.

 _"Mmhmmhmm... you really like this, don't you? Mmm, seeing you all fired up... Ha! I guess I'm 'doing science' on a tree. Well, doing a scientist anyway. Which is practically the same thing."_  
Carlos giggled. Cecil's voice was low but carried and made Earl shiver. He wanted to make Cecil talk to him like that. He wanted to hear Carlos beg for his ass...

Earl's head whipped up and he forced his eyes open to dispel the vision conjured by his imagination, the vision of himself holding on to a branch for support, Cecil kneeling in front and sucking him off, Carlos standing behind and sliding that lovely, big cock into his ass. It was almost enough to send him spinning. Earl couldn't help the hiss as he sucked in air through his teeth.

They were prepared, Earl noticed. Cecil spread out a blanket, pushed his shorts to mid-thigh and lay down, handing some objects to Carlos. Carlos dropped something that reflected moonlight, and sat upright with hands busy at his groin, then snapped on a surgical glove.  
_"Mmm, let's see if I can make that blabbermouth call out my name, hmm?"_  
Cecil giggled. Earl watched Carlos fiddle with a small bottle. Earl clasped a hand around his own erection, wishing he dared move. Cecil's head was towards him and he could not see what Carlos was doing. But from the way Cecil's long boots rested over Carlos's shoulders, Carlos's rhythmic movements and Cecil's moans and half-formed words, he could imagine well enough. When Carlos gave a few faster, harder thrusts then started stroking Cecil's cock, Earl closed his eyes. He listened, pumping his cock in time with Cecil's lustful, begging groans. Earl clamped his free hand over his mouth, sucking in deep breaths through his nose as he came messily over his hand. Earl sunk his head to his chest in burning embarrassment, listening to Cecil's shameless cry of _"Ca-ha-ha-ha-ha-ar-lo-oh-oh-oh-os!"_ and opened his eyes.

The scientist and the radio host were looking right at him.

Cecil's head was angled back so he looked at Earl upside down. Carlos openly grinned. Earl wiped his hand on the grass, fixed his clothing and tried to stand but his knees would not obey first time. His stomach fluttered and churned as much as his head buzzed. He almost missed Cecil's voice calling out, "Earl? Is that you? Hey, don't rush off. I've not seen you in weeks!"


	4. From another point of view

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carlos and Cecil's side of the story.

A few weeks passed after Carlos returned home from the Dog Park. Carlos didn't mention his kink and Cecil didn't ask. After one night (and half a day) of desperately intense _I-missed-you-so-much_ sex followed by a few days of affectionate _wanna-make-you-do-the-happy-noises_ sex, Carlos seemed content with playing big spoon to Cecil's little spoon, cuddling on the sofa and indulging their _too-tired-but-it'll-help-us-sleep_ sexual urges. 

Cecil suggested a date. A proper, planned date with fancy clothes, dinner and wine, maybe a movie and certainly some kind of jointly planned activity to end their evening at home, probably, with happy smiles.

Their planned date-night fell on the same day as one of Carlos's team member's birthdays. Carlos apologised a few days in advance, when they met up after work for a weekday evening taco dinner.  
"Ah, Ceece, I am sorry, I wanted it to be a night just for us, you know? Doing stuff we like to do. But if I don't go it'll look weird and, subjectively, I believe my team think I'm weird enough as it is. So... um... And we won't have seen each other for a couple of days because our work schedules are not compatible next week. I really wanted it to be just you and me."  
Cecil smiled at the way Carlos's discomfort made him fluster. "It's fine, sweetheart. I'd love to be your date at your friend's party. You are so cute when you worry like that... uh..," Cecil smiled and stroked Carlos's hair, "I wonder if we can work in an activity just for us too? If we plan it right and look for an opportunity?"

Carlos frowned, cogitating on the possible meanings of Cecil's words. Cecil kissed him, moving closer. Carlos clasped his hands behind Cecil's waist. Carlos smiled, Cecil felt his lips tighten and lift and the pressure on his back increase as Carlos held him close. Carlos sniggered.  
"Ceece, are you offering to, um, _indulge me_ at the party?"  
Cecil smiled. "Maybe, if there's somewhere suitable. Is it being held at the lab?"  
Carlos shook his head. "No, I won't allow more than one unit of alcohol per sixty pounds of scientist in the lab. Can't risk drunkenness with all of that dangerous equipment around. So a party in the lab is out. They've booked a corner of that fancy new wine bar in town."  
Cecil waggled an eyebrow. "I think I should invite you out to a fancy wine bar for a glass of fancy wine tonight and we can check it out. Do I have to dress up?"  
Carlos stood back to admire Cecil's outfit of a mid-thigh, floral print shift dress over green camouflage print tights. "I think you look lovely. I'll go find a clean lab coat in the car." Carlos frowned. "Want me to put your bag in the car?"  
Cecil smiled and shook his head.

Cecil perused the wine list while Carlos looked around the well-lit bar. Carlos returned to their table to find two glasses of different shades of red waiting. Cecil smiled. "Hope you don't mind but I ordered. There's one glass of..." he checked the wine list again, "...something called _Erika's Cellar Cabernet Merlot_ and another local one called _You Know, the Zinfandel?_ I thought we could try them both."  
Carlos nodded. "Good idea honey, we can compare them." He sipped the zinfandel. "There are lots of people here tonight, but it is likely to be quieter for the party on Wednesday. There are some nice horseshoe booths at the back but--"  
"How is your wine, sir?"  
Their attentive server beamed as Cecil and Carlos both nodded and muttered _'s fine thanks._ Cecil finished Carlos's sentence, "--but you like the risk of discovery, not the certainty of getting thrown out of a nice establishment like this for shocking the server?" Carlos rolled his eyes and nodded. Cecil leaned forward and murmured, _"Don't suggest using the restroom, these places always have a huge mirror. I don't even dare go in there."_

Carlos sipped Cecil's wine and gave it back. "Mmm, which do you like better?" Cecil pointed at Carlos's glass and Carlos switched them. They refused a second glass when their server returned, paid and left. Carlos sighed. "There really was not anywhere. It's a nice place though. Can we go for a walk? I shouldn't drive for an hour or so."   
Cecil took Carlos's hand, interlacing their fingers. They strolled under street-lamps to Grove Park and stopped by the entrance. Cecil tugged Carlos's hand. "I want to walk in the park."  
Carlos frowned, "Ceece, it's closed and padlocked for the night."  
Cecil grinned. "And?"

After clambering over the railings at the park's quietest, darkest corner, Carlos let himself be led along the footpath that circled the perimeter of the park. One quarter of the way round, Cecil nudged Carlos and diverted off inwards along one of the radial paths. Carlos extracted his hand from Cecil's grip and put his arm around Cecil's shoulder, smiled as he felt Cecil's arm behind his waist, Cecil's hand resting on his hip, thumb hooked in one of his belt loops.  
The main path through the park was close enough to the street to hear that there were other people around, snatches of loud conversation reached them alongside traffic noise and the rustle of the breeze playing with the leaves above them. Carlos stopped, skin tingling and warmth radiating upwards.

"Are you okay?" Cecil spoke quietly. "Carlos?"  
"Hmm," Carlos looked around them. "Remember our first date when we did science on one of the trees?" Carlos felt Cecil move his hand, unhook his thumb from his belt loop and slip his hand over Carlos's ass.  
"Hah, are you suggesting... _here?"_ Cecil's heart rate rose with his excitement. _"Now?"_  
"Maybe, if you think this is discreet enough and you're not too weirded out by it, but we don't have to. Ah it's probably a bad idea--"   
Carlos melted into Cecil's kiss, arms around him, hands massaging shapes over his back. Cecil walked Carlos backward, steering him off the path and between the trees, giggling. Carlos gasped when Cecil pushed him against a tree, unfastened his pants and slipped his hand inside. Cecil leaned close to Carlos's ear.  
 _"Do you want to do it right here?"_  
Carlos whimpered and nodded, groin tingling and head buzzing at Cecil's unexpected enthusiasm. Cecil unbuttoned Carlos's shirt with one hand, the other pressing against the scientist's growing erection.  
 _"What do you want to do?"_

Carlos's reply was physical, holding Cecil's hips and grinding against him. Cecil roughly pushed Carlos back, pulled his jeans down to his knees and nudged him around to the other side of the tree to take advantage of the way the trunk leaned slightly.  
"OW!" Carlos giggled. "Careful, honey!"  
"Sorry," Cecil sniggered. "I'll kiss it better."  
Cecil pushed Carlos against the tree trunk and slipped a hand inside his shorts, finding Carlos rock hard. Carlos sucked in a breath quickly and let it out in short puffs as Cecil fondled his balls and stroked his cock. Cecil kissed Carlos, soft pressure on his lips, a giggle bubbling underneath, then dropped to his knees.

Carlos, eyes closed and head thrown back against the rough bark, felt Cecil ease the waistband of his shorts down and a faint breeze blew cool over his exposed erection. Carlos gasped and opened his eyes, looking down at Cecil. Cecil smiled up at Carlos, kissed the base of his cock and licked along the shaft to the head. Carlos watched as Cecil closed his lips around his cock, the warmth and the stimulation of Cecil's flicking tongue making him twitch and moan. Carlos closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the tree, hands waving in air for a moment before hugging the bark beside his hips.   
"Oh my god, Ceece, that feels so-oh-oh goo-ooh-ood. Mmm, you are amazing." 

Cecil wrapped a hand around the shaft and pulled his mouth off Carlos's cock, ducking lower to nuzzle at Carlos's balls. Carlos gasped and opened his eyes as the hot tingle changed, promising a glorious build up, shifted his hands behind his hips, allowing him to arch and push his hips out a little more. As Cecil moved again, fingers tracing where his tongue had just been, mouth enveloping Carlos's cock again and taking him deep, Carlos glanced beyond the trees.

There was a figure in a loose, light coloured shirt kneeling on the grass, watching them.

Carlos felt his head spin, the flame of his arousal threatening to engulf him right there, right now, too soon. He forced his hands to move, stroked Cecil's hair, grasped a handful and held Cecil's head still. Carlos bent his head down, panting.  
"Uhh-uh, mmm, honey, that's so-o-o goo-ood. Aah, I want to fuck you, right here. I want you so much."

Cecil stroked both hands up the backs of Carlos's thighs. Cecil dropped his voice deliberately into the range he knew Carlos liked so much.  
"Mmhmmhmm... you really like this, don't you? I love seeing you all fired up... I guess I'm 'doing science' on a tree. Well," Cecil giggled, "doing a scientist anyway. Which is practically the same thing."  
Carlos risked a glance up, not wanting to frighten away their audience. He leaned his head very close to Cecil's, and spoke in a barely audible murmur.   
_"We are being watched. There's a guy a way off behind you, can't take his eyes off us. We can stop."_  
Cecil murmured back, "The guy in the chef jacket? I saw him when I pushed you around this side of the tree. It's Earl. I'm okay with him seeing this, if you are."  
Carlos kissed Cecil, cupping his head in both hands.   
"Mmm you are the _best."_

Cecil shook out the thin blanket he had brought in his bag, careful not to look directly at Earl, making Carlos snigger and whisper, _"Did you plan this, honey?"_  
Cecil refused to answer, simply smiling and digging in his bag again for condoms and lube and gloves. Carlos helped Cecil out of his tights and knelt between his legs, put on a condom and a glove, coated both with lube and lifted Cecil's ankles so that Carlos's shoulders supported Cecil's legs.   
_"Mmm, let's see if I can make that blabbermouth call out my name."_

Carlos teased around Cecil's entrance, making him squirm and push back, then slipped one finger in. Carlos worked slowly, concentrating on Cecil's pleasure as well as the figure kneeling on the grass beyond the trees, who had his hand around his own cock. Two fingers, thrusting and twisting. Cecil's head was back, his eyes were closed and his mouth slightly open. Carlos pushed three fingers into Cecil slowly, rotating his hand, listening to Cecil's breathing and hearing the soft whimper that always preceded Cecil raising his hips a little in a physical demonstration that he was desperate for more. Carlos gazed at Cecil's face, lit dimly by moonlight through leaves, as he withdrew his fingers, discarded the glove and entered slowly, loving every change in expression as Cecil's brows raised, his eyelids fluttered and his mouth opened further. He glanced up for a second. Their audience was still there, stroking himself slowly.

Carlos closed his eyes for a few seconds, finding a comfortable rhythm and feeling Cecil's hips roll as he tried to thrust back onto him. Carlos thought about that beautiful mouth, open just below and in front, how it would look around Earl's cock, how he could reach over and kiss Earl as they both fucked Cecil, how Earl could lean way over and take Cecil...

Carlos felt himself on the brink of his climax at the mental image of Earl and Cecil sucking each other off. He wasn't even sure the orientation of three bodies in his mind was physically possible, but it didn't seem to be a priority right now. He supported himself on one hand and grasped Cecil's cock with the other as he thrust harder and faster. Cecil's hands fisted into the blanket on either side of him and he pushed against the straining fabric, grinning and gasping, until he tensed and came, crying out _"Ca-ha-ha-ha-ha-ar-lo-oh-oh-oh-os!"_

Cecil opened his eyes in time to see Carlos's head loll forward, eyes closed, jaw slack, heaving breaths matching the hard thrusts and spasms of his own climax. 

Cecil rolled his head back and his eyes up to see if the spectator was still there. Carlos looked up too. The man's head came up and he made eye contact with Carlos, then Cecil. He tried to get up but faltered and sank back to his knees. Carlos felt his face flush hot.  
Cecil called out, "Earl? Is that you? Hey, don't run off. I've not seen you in weeks!"  
But by the time Carlos and Cecil were ready to move, their spectator was gone.

They lay for a few minutes in each other's arms on the blanket before clearing up, rolling up the blanket, stuffing it back into Cecil's bag and walking back to Carlos's car. Cecil threw his bag in the back and got into the passenger seat. Carlos started the engine.  
"I should call or text Earl. See if he's okay." Cecil tapped his phone.  
"Hmm," Carlos waited for a chance to turn out of the parking lot. "It's real late, Ceece. You didn't mind Earl watching us. Usually you want to be hidden even if I'm visible. You don't mind people knowing you are there, but you don't want to be seen. This was different."  
Cecil shrugged. "I know Earl from way back. We had a... not a _thing_ exactly, but it might have been something if we'd... if things had been different."

Almost home, Carlos drove at a sedate pace. "He was a good friend to you when I was away."  
"Yes," Cecil admitted. "He was a friend. Just a friend."  
Carlos smiled. "I did not mean to imply that I thought anything else! I love you, Ceece, and I know you love me, and I love that you love me and... hey are you laughing at me?"  
Cecil grinned. "You're so sweet, Carlos. Um, does it bother you that Earl and I almost once nearly had a sort of thing that never happened?"  
Carlos parked in the driveway. He turned to Cecil, a slight frown puckering his brow.  
"No, um, would it bother you if I wouldn't mind if you actually did have a thing with Earl? Now? As long as you still loved me too? I mean, he seems real nice and I know you like him and..." Carlos shrugged. Cecil stared at Carlos, eyebrows high on his forehead and eyes wide open.   
"I think we ought to talk about this tomorrow."


	5. Two's company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cecil and Carlos have a proposition for Earl.  
> Will he accept their offer?

It was morning two days later over coffee when Cecil called Earl and he actually answered. Carlos listened in, mainly because Cecil held him by the hand and followed him when he tried to leave the kitchen.

"Hi Earl, it's me."  
_"Hi Ceece, um, are you calling for..."_  
"Personal reasons. You got my texts?"  
_"Yes, all fifteen of them, Ceece, what the actual--"_  
"Please, Earl, I'm not embarrassed and neither is Carlos. There's no need to feel embarrassed. Unless that wasn't you in the park that night in which case I am very embarrassed indeed."  
_"No, it was me. Um..."_  
"Can we meet up? You know, talk? Or not talk."

Cecil watched Carlos's face while he waited for Earl to reply. After an eternity of about twelve seconds, Earl spoke and Cecil's face tightened. 

_"What do you want to talk about?"_  
"I want to apologise. So does Carlos."  
_"Huh? But I was the one who... What?"_  
"Earl, can we talk in person? Please?"

Cecil heard Earl sigh and imagined him running a hand over his hair to his neck, the way he did when he was unsure.

_"Okay. Okay, but just you. I just dropped Roger at school. I can meet you now."_

Earl chose a coffee shop busy enough for the privacy offered by a crowd of people all with their own conversations. Cecil sat opposite, waiting for Earl to make eye contact. Earl sipped too-hot coffee and stared at the scratches on the table.  
"I prefer the Moonlite," Cecil said, "they know how I like my coffee."  
Earl smiled and gouged at a table-scar with his thumbnail. "You sure are fussy about your coffee." He looked up at Cecil's frown.  
"I am sorry, Earl. I wanted to apologise because I knew you were there." Cecil paused, then filled Earl's thinking time unnecessarily, "In the park."  
"The whole time?" Earl cocked an eyebrow at Cecil, the smile gone.  
"Pretty much. I should have said something but... um..." Cecil pulled his mouth into a line and dragged his teeth over his bottom lip. He squared up in his seat and leaned forward, forearms on the table. "This is probably going to sound weird. Um, Carlos likes the risk of being seen, you know, in public, and I like the way that makes him so _incredibly_ responsive and I kinda like doing it outdoors, so sometimes we... um... find somewhere. I wanted to surprise him. We were planning something for later in the week, but we walked past the park and I thought: why not."  
Earl snorted. "You sure surprised me. I thought you'd forgotten about your outdoors thing. Remember that scout camp when you snuck out of the tent and--"

Cecil shushed Earl and giggled in relief as Earl's face creased with silent laughter. Earl pulled his face serious again.  
"I'm sorry I stayed to watch. That was out of line, I should have walked away as soon as I realised. But..."  
Cecil waited for Earl to sip at his coffee. He looked over at Earl's face, watched the chef's eyes shifting left and right.  
"But?"  
Earl leaned forwards and spoke in quiet, urgent tones. _"But, uhh, you two, I mean, fuck! You two are so hot together! I was tired, I was just off shift and taking a shortcut home and it has been so long since--"_  
Cecil stared at Earl's shirt, exposed where his jacket flapped open when he moved forward in his seat. "Earl! Are you wearing one of Steve's stupid tee shirts?"  
Earl looked down. "Oh! yeah. I was in a hurry so I threw my jeans and jacket on over the clothes I slept in."  
"You sleep in a tee shirt with me and Carlos on it?" Cecil still stared, feeling his face flush hot.  
Earl closed his jacket. "I did last night."

Earl sat back and drank his coffee. Cecil played with his cup, fingers tapping at the rim, twisting the base around the off-centre saucer. Earl leaned forward again.  
"There's something else you wanted to say, isn't there?"  
"What?" Cecil clattered the cup down. "Um, yes, but Carlos should be here, he should be here to say what he wanted to say. Um, Earl?"  
"Cecil?"  
"Would you talk to Carlos? He wants to apologise too."

Earl agreed, trying to suppress thoughts of what he had wanted to do to the scientist in the heat of the moment, what he had thought of doing with his friend and his friend's boyfriend at 2am, slipping into bed after kissing a sleeping boy goodnight and seeing the babysitter safely into a pre-booked taxi. Earl indulged a fantasy, drifting off to sleep after jerking off to thoughts of Carlos's cock and Cecil's mouth teasing his naked body, and feeling a burning shame at his weakness.  
Still, Earl thought, he should talk to Carlos. There was no harm in hearing what the man had to say, and he was Cecil's boyfriend so there could be no misunderstanding. 

Cecil texted Carlos and walked with Earl to the lab. Carlos was alone, having sent his team out to collect samples from all the coffee shops within reasonable walking distance to find out which ones promised arabica but delivered only chicory and robusta with extra syrup. He knew the team would return from the Barista District in a few hours, unfocused, shaking and talking at top speed.  
Carlos invited Cecil and Earl inside. Earl sat on a plastic chair in the break area, Cecil made an exaggerated _Oh-look-at-the-time!_ mime and left.

Carlos sighed and sat upright, opposite Earl.  
"I'm sorry about the other night. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable, but I did."  
Earl frowned. "Cecil told me you like some risk of getting caught. I already knew he has a thing about open air, he used to leave the tent to jerk off when we went camping. The park was closed, it was just moonlit, it should have been just you two and whatever else comes out at night. You couldn't have known I would be there. I'm sorry I stayed, it was creepy. I felt like a creep."  
Carlos's lips curved up although his brow stayed furrowed. "That's what I mean. I'm sorry we made you feel like that. Are we okay? Are you and Cecil okay, by which I mean are you still friends?"  
Earl smiled and nodded. "I can't help being friends with Ceece. He's so... he's..."  
Carlos flashed a smile that made Earl's pulse race. 

Carlos watched Earl's expression for a few seconds. He stroked his chin.  
"Hmm, Cecil and I had a talk after... you know. Next morning."  
"Oh?" Earl's stomach churned. "What, um, what did you talk about?"  
Carlos shifted in his seat, wriggling to find a position that was less uncomfortable even though he knew the discomfort was not the fault, for once, of the molded plastic chair. Carlos stared at his fingertips.  
"Hmm, we talked about what we did and what we did not do, and what we thought we ought to do. And I said I wanted to apologise to you because you ran off and it was bad that we made you feel bad even if we didn't mean to do that. Adrenaline surge, probably, your legs might have felt unsteady and your stomach probably felt fluttery..."

 _Like mine does right now,_ thought Carlos, shifting in the seat again. He raised his head to find Earl looking right at him.  
"Um," said Carlos, "We agreed to, uh, ask you something." Carlos felt heat rise up his neck and his skin prickled. He stared at his hands, picking at his fingers. "But... You see... Only if... never mind, the probability is so small that you'd be..." Carlos shrugged. "Ah, there's no real point in asking." 

Carlos stood up and busied himself tidying the already-clean break area. Earl frowned, watching Carlos fuss over the microwave, back turned, lab coat hiding his figure. Earl's mind wandered to a place where he had confidence to go up to the scientist, slide a hand down the curve of his back, whisper in his ear the acts he fantasised about. Earl jumped out of his daydream of bending Carlos backwards over the worktop and sucking him off when the door swished and Cecil reappeared. Earl swallowed and wished he'd had more self control. He squirmed in his chair and hoped the reason wasn't too obvious.

"Hey, you guys," Cecil sang out, "Did you talk?"  
"Yes! But--" Carlos began, glancing back over his shoulder at Cecil but not turning round.  
"Oh good!" crooned Cecil, "Earl, did you say yes? Please tell me you said yes. I've been thinking about you so much..." Carlos made all sorts of gestures in the background, all unnoticed or ignored. Cecil ploughed on as he stood behind the seat next to Earl. "...So, are you interested in a little prearranged voyeurism?" 

Earl's face burned and he trembled. He stood up, turned, took Cecil's arm and walked him out of the lab, round the corner and into the alley behind the building. He pushed Cecil against the wall and spoke in a voice straining with the effort of not shouting.  
"No, Cecil, I do not want to watch you and your perfect boyfriend fucking."  
"Oh! Um, okay." Cecil stayed still. "I'm sorry, again, I misread the whole situation. We both did. I thought..." Earl hit the rough wall with the flat of his hand. Cecil jumped at the slapping noise.  
"What did you think, Cecil?"  
"I thought you got something out of watching. Carlos said you got off on it."  
Earl bit his bottom lip hard and stepped back. He clenched his fists by his sides, closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  
"Cecil, I got off on thinking about _what I wanted to do with both of you!"_ Earl opened his eyes and bored a gaze into Cecil's face. "Do you understand that? Ceece? Can you see how it might make me feel, to be invited to watch _Carlos_ do things with you I only ever got to imagine? To see you make your scientist feel the way I wanted to..." Earl took two steps back. "Ugh, there's no point. No, I am not interested."

Earl walked away, eyes burning, focusing so determinedly on suppressing his disappointment that he barely saw Carlos before almost colliding with him as he rounded the corner. Carlos impeded Earl's retreat for just long enough that Cecil caught up.  
"Earl! No, wait. Please..." Cecil took Earl's arm. Earl stood there, fists clenching again, unsure whether to fight Cecil off and run, or sink to the ground and wait for the earth to absorb him.  
Carlos frowned at Earl's right hand where a drop of blood dropped to the dust.  
"Oh! Looks like you cut yourself. I have a first aid kit. Come back inside."

Earl allowed Cecil to steer him into the lab with a hand on his arm and another on his back. Carlos led the way through the lab and up a flight of stairs hidden behind a partition. Carlos looked round, smiling, as he reached a red-painted door.  
"Hey Cecil, do you remember when I used to live up here?"  
Cecil laughed. Carlos pushed the door open and invited Cecil and Earl inside. Earl sat at a small formica-topped table and held out his grazed hand. Carlos sat opposite on the other chair, Cecil stood behind with a hand on Earl's shoulder. Not pushing, Earl thought, just _there._ Earl realised that Cecil had not broken physical contact with him since catching up after his outburst in the alley. He glanced at Carlos and saw the scientist nodding slowly up at Cecil.

"What." Earl retracted his right hand from where it lay palm up cradled by Carlos's left.  
"Please let me fix that, Earl, it might get infected then you'd have to have time off or something. You need your hands. Cooking is practical, like science. Scientists have to have practical solutions."  
Earl frowned at Carlos but Cecil's two hands rested gently on his shoulders, thumbs rubbing circles on his tight trapezius. Earl offered his grazed hand back to Carlos and the scientist cleaned the scraped and dusty skin.  
"There's a little cut but I don't think it's serious. It has almost stopped bleeding."  
Carlos cut a dressing to size and taped it over the wound. 

Earl watched as Carlos concentrated on smoothing down the tape. Carlos glanced back up at Cecil. Cecil shuffled around to perch on the side of the table, letting his hands trail across the back of Earl's shoulders and down his arm. Earl shivered, hairs standing up in a pattern radiating out from where Cecil's fingers had touched bare skin.

Cecil half turned towards Earl, his back to Carlos. Carlos got up to put the first aid kit away in the other room. Cecil sighed.  
"I am so sorry, Earl. Have I ruined everything?"  
Earl sighed too. "Something always gets in our way, Cecil. We get close and something happens. Europe. Being nineteen. Mute children. Sudden unexplained parenthood." Earl looked up at Cecil. "Science."

Carlos stuck his head through the doorway. "Um, I don't intend to be in anybody's way. Earl, that was what I wanted to ask you about earlier. I wanted you to know that if you wanted to be with Cecil I was okay with that as long as you understood that I'm not going anywhere, I belong with Cecil. And if Cecil belongs with me and Cecil belongs with you then logically, maybe... um, Look." Carlos came in and sat down again. He pressed his hands flat on the table and leaned forward, Cecil making room for him by sliding off the table and crouching with a hand on Earl's arm and another on Carlos's knee.  
"Cecil tells me I'm not great at talking about personal matters. And he's probably right, so I will say this and leave you to think about it. Cecil really likes you. If there's a chance you can make each other happy you should take it. But Cecil and I make each other happy and that's not going to stop. Love doesn't come with a sizing guide. You just have to try it on and see if some version fits."  
Carlos stroked Cecil's cheek and left the room. Earl heard the apartment door creak and click.

Cecil stood up and offered a hand to Earl. Earl pushed himself out of his chair. He rubbed his face with his uninjured hand.  
"I need to think. Ceece, I am so tired you wouldn't believe. I can't get my head around this at all."  
Cecil nodded. "Okay."  
"And my shift starts at four. I barely have time to pick up Roger from school and take him home before I have to go to work. I hardly see him." Earl's hands covered his eyes and he shook his head slowly. "I don't have time for... for..."  
Cecil wrapped his arms around Earl's waist and held him. Earl tensed for a second then dropped his arms around Cecil's back and sunk his head onto Cecil's shoulder, trembling.  
"Cecil, I'm barely coping. Don't complicate things." 

Cecil rocked Earl where he stood. Earl calmed after a couple of minutes, raised his head, and Cecil brushed soft lips against his cheekbone.  
"You don't have to make any real big decisions, Earl. You could decide to stay here for a while, or to go. Those are little decisions that don't much matter. It doesn't have to be complicated."

Earl gazed into Cecil's eyes. Cecil stared back, silence broken only by the sounds of their breathing and the background buzz of the electricity supply. Too close to focus properly, Earl closed his eyes again and concentrated on the feel of Cecil's thumb drying his cheek, Cecil's palm cupping his jaw. Earl sighed and opened his eyes to see the infuriating little grin that always made him forgive. 

He realised that he had given in already, back when he let Carlos lead him upstairs. 

Earl touched his closed lips against Cecil's smile. He felt Cecil hold him tighter, one arm around his shoulders and the hand that had caressed his face slipped behind his head. He stood passive, lips parted, allowing himself to be held and kissed. Earl felt weak. Tired, drained by work and parenting and hanging on, hoping for good days. _"Maybe this is what I need,"_ he thought, _"I wanted it for long enough."_

Earl whimpered and pushed back from Cecil. Cecil ran both palms from Earl's shoulders down the length of his arms and took his hands. Cecil gave Earl a hopeful, questioning smile and led him by the hand into Carlos's old bedroom. He pulled Earl, unprotesting, to the edge of the bed, helped him undress to his teeshirt and boxers and tucked him between sheets that smelled warm with lavender and a hint of spice, before undressing and slipping into bed too. Cecil looped an arm across Earl's waist and snuggled up beside him. 

Earl angled his head to see Cecil's face inches away. Cecil pushed himself up on one elbow, head supported on one hand, other hand stroking Earl's chest. Cecil kissed Earl, lingering without urgency. Earl kissed back, pulled Cecil half on top of him, hands pushing up under his shirt and down over his ass. Cecil giggled into the kiss, making Earl laugh too, fingers finding a way inside Earl's ridiculous shirt to stroke skin. Cecil pushed himself further over Earl, feeling Earl's hardness against his hip. 

Earl felt Cecil slide off sideways, hand drifting from stroking over his chest, fingers tracing a line down his sternum, pausing at the soft bulge of his stomach, a flat hand rubbing circles that eased lower and lower, down past his navel. Cecil stopped long enough to ask Earl in a murmur by his ear that made his skin shiver, _"I want to touch you. I want to touch you and see your face when I make you come. Can I do that, Earl?"_

Earl kissed Cecil, _mmhmm_ -ed and nodded his consent. Cecil's hand slid down under Earl's shorts to the base of his cock, diverted around and cupped his balls. Cecil murmured suggestions to Earl and Earl pushed his shorts down and toed them off, shifted onto his side facing Cecil, arms up and out of the way. Cecil kissed Earl, eased a knee between Earl's thighs, cupped his balls with one hand and wrapped his other hand around the shaft of Earl's cock. Earl gasped and groaned as Cecil stroked his cock and massaged his balls. 

Earl flopped over onto his back, hands gripping the pillows above his head. Cecil broke contact and pushed himself up, kneeling between Earl's legs. Cecil resumed fondling and stroking, letting his thumb pad flick over the sensitive area below the head of Earl's cock, feeling Earl's balls pull up and tighten. Earl took a deep breath in as a hot tingle expanded through his core, clenched his fists and tilted his head back into the pillows as he came in a series of shuddering gasps, mouth open, and eyelids fluttering, legs tensed, heels seeking purchase in the tangle of soft bedding. He lay still, breathing evenly, feeling tension leave his frame.  
The last thing Earl heard before sleep took him was Cecil's voice telling him he was probably going to want a clean shirt. 

Earl woke after the quietest dreams he had had since he was a teenager. Normally his dreams were clanging, disturbing images of disaster and shouting clients, meaning he often woke tense and headachey and upset and still exhausted. He opened his eyes because he smelled coffee. Cecil lay beside him, looking at him from across the pillow, arm resting on his chest, smiling.  
Earl rubbed his eyes and yawned. Cecil murmured, _"Hey."_  
"Ugh, sorry, How long was I asleep?"  
A weight landed on Earl's other side, making the mattress dip and he tipped slightly away from Cecil. Carlos sat there.  
"A couple of hours." Carlos smiled. My team came back with so much coffee. Want some?"  
Earl sat up and slurped from the styrofoam cup he accepted from Carlos without looking at the scientist's face. He set the cup on the cupboard by the side of the bed.  
"Mmm. I should go."  
Cecil sat up too and stroked Earl's back. "If you want to."  
Carlos shrugged. "You can stay if you want. There's a shower and some... haha!... some other shirts if you don't mind wearing one of the emergency spares I keep here for when I have to work overnight. I have to go back downstairs."

Earl waited until he heard Carlos's feet on the stairs.  
"Ceece, what the fuck is going on with us?" Cecil lay back in bed and held an arm out, an invitation. Earl ignored it. "Ceece, I am so confused right now. Tell me what's going on with you and Carlos. You start by asking me to be a voyeur and end by taking me to bed, an event your boyfriend seemed to find amusing. No hints and euphemisms, Ceece, tell me what you want with me."  
Cecil smiled and bit his lip, a slight wrinkle on his brow. He looked away, focusing on the folds in the sheet between his fingers.  
"I don't want us to not be friends, Earl."  
"Ceece, we managed still to be friends after so much. Talk. I need to hear it."

Cecil took a deep breath and held it, then let words spill.  
"Carlos knows I like you and he says I should explore that and he's okay with us having sex if we want and maybe if things work out and you're okay with it he can join in because he kind of likes you too, and if any of us decides something's not right for us then we don't have to do it. But if you don't want any of that, say no and we'll leave you alone until we all stop being awkward about it. We came up with the idea of asking you just to watch first because I was worried that I was wrong and you weren't interested in me."

Earl was silent for a couple of minutes. "So, you want for you and me to have sex."  
Cecil nodded and smiled. "Yes, if you do."  
Earl asked for clarification, "And your boyfriend doesn't mind?"  
Cecil shrugged. "I wouldn't have done that in his science nest if he wasn't at least a little enthusiastic about it."  
Earl frowned. "And he wants to have sex with both of us."  
Cecil nodded, "Yes."  
"At the same time?"  
"Yes, well, he might want me to watch."  
"And you want that too?"  
Cecil looked hungry. "Oh, yes."

Earl swung his legs out of bed. He rubbed his head. "Uh, the shower?"  
Cecil pointed and Earl padded off. Cecil dressed then found Earl a clean shirt and shorts and a towel, pushed open the door and left them balanced on the edge of the sink. Earl reappeared looking more awake and finished dressing. Cecil smiled.  
"Got time for a late lunch before work? Rico's?"  
"I want to talk to Carlos first."

Cecil led Earl downstairs. The lab was quiet, the only lab-coated figure hunched over a workbench was Carlos. Cecil deliberately rattled glassware to make him look up. Carlos grinned.  
"Hey Ceece, hi Earl. I had to send them all home. Too much caffeine. You need a steady hand to be a scientist. How's your hand?"  
"Oh? Fine. The dressing came off in the shower but it's okay." Earl held up his palm, no longer oozing.  
Carlos pushed a stool out for Earl and patted it. Cecil pottered in the break area nearby.  
"Sit if you want, Earl. It's hard."  
"What?"  
"When you never get enough sleep. It's hard to think."  
"Oh. I know. Thanks for letting me use your..." Earl pointed up towards Carlos's science crash-pad.  
"Boyfriend?" Carlos smirked and winked. Earl snorted and felt his face heat up. Carlos sniggered. "I'm sorry, that was rude. You look better. Do you feel better? Cecil makes me feel better. A lot."

Earl sat on the stool beside Carlos. Close beside Carlos. The scientist studied the notes in front of him. Earl sighed and leaned on the work bench, elbow to elbow with Carlos.  
"I'm not ready to be with both of you. I want to spend some time just with Ceece. Dating I suppose."  
Carlos glanced at Earl.  
"That makes a lot of sense. I mean, you're good friends already but this is different."  
"And," Earl looked at Carlos's hands, fiddling with a pipette filler on the bench in front of them, "I want to get to know you better too."  
Carlos smiled. "Oh? I would like for all three of us to get together sometimes."  
"I meant," Earl swallowed and laid his hand on Carlos's forearm, "just us. I need to know that we're not doing this just because Ceece wants it. I need to know that I still find you attractive when he's not around."  
Carlos beamed. "You think I'm attractive? That's..."  
"Neat!" Cecil smiled and draped an arm around each of them. "I'm taking Earl for lunch. You can do something scientific involving our work schedules and a spreadsheet."  
Carlos grinned. "This just gets better and better."


	6. Storytime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carlos describes his date with Earl to Cecil.  
> In detail.

"Oh come o-o-o-o-on! Carlos!" Cecil pleaded. Carlos simply smiled and sat up in bed.  
"All the details, Ceece?"  
Cecil pulled Carlos back down beside him and almost growled. "I want a _blow by blow_ account."  
Carlos giggled. "Earl and I went on a lunch date. We had a nice time. That's all there is to tell. Go to sleep, babe."  
Cecil rolled his eyes. "Did he tell you not to say anything? Awww Carlos! I really want to know."  
Carlos rolled over to face Cecil. "Do you tell Earl about what _we_ do together?"  
Cecil looked up at the ceiling. "No-o-o-o, of course no-o-ot..."  
"Ceece, are you lying?" Carlos nuzzled close to Cecil's ear.  
"I'm lying on the bed waiting for you to describe in full scientific detail what you and Earl did on your first date. Oh I bet you didn't do anything and you're just teasing me. I might as well get up. It is not late enough for sleeping." Cecil made as if to swing his legs out of bed. Carlos held him.  
"Not so fast, honey. There are some things I might want to tell you after all." Carlos grinned.  
Cecil snuggled down, head on Carlos's shoulder ready for a bedtime story.

Carlos smiled and kissed the top of Cecil's head. "So... Earl called me real early, I had just gotten to the lab and I was examining... Aah science... but he hung up before I could answer. I thought he might have made a mistake so I called back to check if he meant to call me or not, but I didn't know what I was going to say so I hung up too. Then I thought _this is silly_ and I planned what I wanted to say and I left a message."

Cecil sniggered. "I know, he played it to me. It was real cute." Cecil put on his very best scientist voice and quoted from memory:  
 _"Hey, Earl, you called me and I called you back. I guess you are too busy to answer and maybe you did not mean to call me at all because it is so early, but I am up for work. Want to get lunch today? Oh you probably do want to get lunch, I assume you eat because if you didn't you'd... Aah science! A more accurate question is do you want to have lunch with me today. Call or text or something and tell me if you can meet me. Or just stop by the lab and say hello. I would... I would really like to see you. I would like that very much. Um, bye."_

Carlos giggled. "I did _not_ sound like that!" He rolled over on top of Cecil, who grinned and let Carlos pin his hands above his head. "Take it back or I'll..."  
Cecil sniggered. "...Or you'll what?"  
"Not tell you about my date." Carlos kissed the end of Cecil's nose. Cecil squirmed a little under Carlos, just enough to make Carlos roll his eyes, whimper and dip his head down for a proper kiss. Cecil responded by twisting and tipping Carlos off, laughing.  
"Nope, Carlos, story first. You know I'm going to ask Earl too so you might as well tell me everything."

"You tease!" Carlos protested but Cecil insisted on his terms and resisted all attempts at bargaining. "Fine. Earl texted back to say he'd pick me up at one. Well, I was so wound up all morning I was useless. I couldn't concentrate At All! The adrenaline kicked in and made me all restless and jittery. Mostly I pretended to make observations and do _really_ complex calculations with lo-o-ong, ha-a-ard formulas, but actually I was thinking about Earl and about you, and about Earl and me, and about Earl and you, and about Earl and you and me and what the date might involve because we hadn't agreed on a venue or a format and I hoped Earl had all the right paperwork in place because I sure didn't."

Carlos stopped to breathe. Cecil laughed. "Oh honey, I submitted all the necessary forms days ago with the dates deliberately smudged just in case you two had a sudden... um... hankering for each other's company."   
Carlos smiled, leaned over and kissed Cecil. "Aw, sweetie, that was so thoughtful of you! Thanks! So I was off my science all morning. Earl arrived outside the lab right on time and waited for me to come out. Meanwhile I was inside the lab waiting for him to come in. My heart was beating really hard, I could feel it--"  
"You should probably get that checked out," Cecil interrupted.  
"--and I was getting all unsettled, pacing back and forward. He called me at ten past so say had I forgotten because you'd warned him that sometimes I get distracted and not to take it personally if I was late. I was so embarrassed! He laughed and we met in the doorway of the lab, you know, between the street door and the swing doors. And we..." Carlos stopped and sighed.

"And you WHAT?" Cecil almost yelled in his enthusiasm to find out.

Carlos sighed and shook his head. "We... we shook hands and said _hello nice to see you again_ like a couple of old folks in the park."  
"Ugh, Ca-a-arlos!" Cecil sighed and laughed. "Did you go into super-scientist mode?"

Carlos looked at the ceiling. "Not right away. I had kind of rehearsed what I was going to say in my head before Earl arrived but when I thought he was late and you told me how reliable he always is, I thought he must have changed his mind and for ten minutes I convinced myself that it wasn't going to happen, he wasn't coming and I might as well forget it. I got really down, I so wanted to get along with Earl. Not just for your sake, because I know you've had three nice dates with him over the last couple of weeks, but for me too. So I didn't say any of the things I'd planned in advance."

"But you invited him in, at least, right?" Cecil turned onto his side to look at Carlos.  
"Um..."  
"Carlos!"  
"I planned to invite him upstairs right away so we could have lunch in private and maybe make out for a while, but I thought it might be weird because that was where you and he, uh, reconnected. I didn't want to put him off so I suggested we had lunch in the park."  
Cecil's lips twitched with a suppressed snigger. "You didn't want to take him upstairs where I gave him a very relaxing hand-job, but you were fine with taking him to the park where he'd watched you fuck me?"  
"Yeah," Carlos sighed and rubbed his face with both hands. "I only thought of that problem when we got to the trees."  
Cecil grinned. "I can't wait to hear Earl's side of this story."

"Anyway," Carlos continued, "we ate lunch at one of the picnic benches near the where the shape used to be and talked. Earl's a real interesting guy, cooking is just like science so we compared procedures and methods for a while. I think I talked too much, like you say I do when I'm nervous, but he didn't seem to mind. He must have listened to at least some of it because he asked questions. I relaxed a bit and Earl told me some stories from when he was a scout."

Cecil rolled his eyes. "I bet he did. Did, um, did I feature in any of those stories?'  
Carlos laughed. "He told me how much you like the feel of night air on your skin."  
Cecil hid his face in the pillows. Carlos rolled over and kissed the back of his neck, watching the tiny hairs stand up in response. Cecil emerged.   
"Oh no you don't! Finish telling me about your date."

Carlos lay back and closed his eyes. "Hmm, I said nice things about lunch since Earl had made it specially and it was really good. We had peanut and falafel wraps with mint, and I offered to get coffee. He said yes so we walked through the park on the centre path that goes around the grove and he kind of stopped and let go my hand--"  
"You were holding hands?"  
"Yes. He--"  
"Carlos, that is exactly the kind of detail you should not leave out. When did you start holding hands?"  
"Um, at the lab when we shook hands. We stood there while I got the words together to ask if he wanted to go eat in the park. When we went out the main door we had to stop holding hands for a minute but I think... yes... we bumped arms a few times when we were walking and he took my hand. It was nice. But he let go to eat because it was too difficult to open his bag with only one hand, and when we got to the trees. Ceece, I felt so stupid! My face went all hot and my head buzzed and I wanted to curl up right there and it all to go away. But Earl... He just..."  
Cecil reached for his glass of water on the nightstand. "Tell me!"  
Carlos grinned. "He just laughed and pointed and said, real quiet, _you two were right there and I was here and all I could think about was having your dick in my ass while Ceece sucked me off."_   
Cecil spluttered and coughed. 

Carlos laughed. "I wanted to pull him into the trees right there and... but there were too many people around. Instead I said did he want to have coffee back at my old apartment but he said no and asked how long I had left of my lunch break. I said I could call in and take the afternoon off if he wanted and he said that would be nice, so I called Rochelle to say I was going to be out all afternoon."

Cecil sat up and turned to face Carlos, raised an eyebrow and grinned. "And then what happened?"  
Carlos frowned. "Well, Rho said okay but I still owed half a day from back when--"  
"That is NOT what I meant and you know it!" Cecil grabbed a pillow and hit Carlos with it. Carlos caught it and sniggered through their short tug-o-war. Carlos pulled Cecil back down beside him.

"Then Earl suggested we went back to his place. He said he had to get changed for work but he still had a couple of hours before picking up Roger and we could hang out if I wanted. I said yes and he drove us to his place. He invited me in and I was real nervous. He made coffee while I looked at his records and his recipe books. I was confused because you said - remember that time I invited you up for coffee and made you coffee and you got upset? - you said _would you like to come up for coffee_ meant something else and I said--"  
Cecil smiled and stroked Carlos's face. "I remember, you said, _"Oh? People should say what they mean. In that case, would you like to stay and have sex once you've finished your coffee?"_ and I almost burned my throat trying to drink it too fast."  
Carlos smiled at the memory and kissed Cecil's throat.

"I told Earl about that and he laughed and asked if that meant I wanted to have sex with him. I said yes, but only if that was what he wanted and it didn't have to happen today if he wasn't in the mood. He stared at me for a few seconds, five at least, then took my coffee mug from me and put it on the table. We sat on his sofa and kind of frowned at each other. I told him that when I'd seen him watching us I had a fantasy that we kissed while I fucked you and you sucked him off kind of upside down but I didn't know if that would work because of geometry. He stared at me a bit more and I said maybe I should go."

Cecil sighed. "Oh, Carlos! Was it too soon?"  
Carlos shrugged. "I guess not because when we got to his hallway he offered me another handshake but I also put my left hand on his jaw and kissed him. He kind of sighed and put his arms around my waist and kissed me too. It was nice, standing in Earl's hallway, kissing."  
Cecil yelled incoherent syllables at Carlos.  
Carlos smirked and looked into Cecil's eyes. "I ran my hands down Earl's back to his ass. He pushed me against the wall and we kissed some more. He has a nice ass, but I guess you know that." Cecil nodded _Mmhmmhmm!_ "I asked him what he wanted to do, which was difficult because we were still kissing and I was pulling his hips into mine because I was getting so turned on. So was he. I could tell the blood supply to the erectile tissue in his penis was enhanced because--"  
Cecil waved his hands around like he didn't know where to put them, finally settling on pulling at his own hair. "Carlos, I swear..."  
Carlos grinned. "He said _I want you_ and led me into his bedroom. Ceece, how much detail do you want?"

Cecil stared into Carlos's eyes from inches away. "All of it. Tell me everything."  
Carlos frowned. "Are you getting off on this?"  
Cecil grinned. "Hell, yes! Full scientific details, please, Carlos."  
Carlos laughed. "Good. You're so cute when you're all excited." Carlos leaned over and kissed Cecil, running a hand down his stomach to his hip and across the bulge in his shorts. "Mmm, you do appear to be enjoying hearing about me and Earl."  
Cecil moaned at Carlos's touch and stilled his hand, lifted it off. "Mmm, this is making me... I want you to tell me exactly what you and Earl did to each other and not touch me until you finish."

"We got into Earl's bedroom and kissed some more and rubbed up against each other. I put my hand inside his shirt and he unfastened my jeans. We tugged at each other's clothing but I took a step back and said I wanted to do it more slowly and not end up climaxing in a couple of minutes, which was, like, eighty percent probable if we didn't slow down. He said that was okay and could we do oral. I said yes please and we giggled a lot. We took turns taking clothing off each other. I took off his shirt first and rubbed his nipples with my thumbs, the way you like, and licked and bit them when they got erect. You want me to do that to you too?"

Cecil let out a sound that might or might not have been a word, but sounded like consent, Carlos nodded. "Later, you said not to touch you yet." Cecil groaned and thumped his head back into the pillow.

"Earl made all kinds of noises when I played with his chest. He has nice hair there, I stroked it while I kissed his hard nipples and he put a hand in my hair and arched his back a bit. I stroked all the way down his stomach to his belt but he laughed and said _my turn_ and pushed my jeans down, which was a bit awkward because I still had my shoes on. I tried to kick them off but Earl said that was cheating so I stood there with my jeans around my knees and my cock poking out of my shorts. Earl said it looked cute and got down on his knees in front of me. He licked the end of my cock, just the bit that was sticking out of my shorts, and put his hands on my ass." Carlos blew out a long breath. "It was... Uh... I wanted to fuck him hard and fast, him on his knees in front of me on the floor. I told him so and he said _maybe next time_ which made me happy because he is So. Hot. And I got a real thrill that already he wanted there to be a next time and I hadn't even made him come yet."

Cecil made another unintelligible sound and rolled onto his stomach, hands under the pillow. Carlos closed his eyes. "Hmm, what happened next... Oh I remember. I sat down on the bed because my legs went wobbly with the adrenaline and... science. I undid Earl's belt and button and zipper and pushed his pants down too, but I cheated and hooked a finger into the waistband of his briefs too. His cock kind of bounced up once his clothing was out of the way. It's a nice size, you know? Of course you do. Not too big or too small, not that it would matter for oral, but I liked it. Mmm, his cock is nice. I told him so and he said thanks. Then I pulled him closer and kissed his stomach, the soft part under his navel. He leaned in a bit and I kept my hands on his ass while I kissed and licked down to the base of his cock. He made the cutest little groan when I ducked my head and used my lips to pull his balls into my mouth!"

Cecil had his hands on top of the pillow and gripped tight to the fabric. Carlos felt the bed move as Cecil rocked his hips into the sheet.  
"Aw, Ceece, are you cheating?" Carlos opened his eyes to see Cecil biting at his lip. Carlos leaned close and murmured close to Cecil's ear. "Are you enjoying your bedtime story? Finding it hard... to concentrate?"  
Cecil raised his head, looking for a kiss. Carlos supplied a quick peck on the lips then settled down again.  
"Where were we... Umm..."  
Cecil groaned. "You were sitting on Earl's bed sucking on his balls!"  
"Hey you were listening!" Carlos laughed and slowly moved his hand, hoping Cecil wouldn't notice, to adjust his half-hard cock before it got uncomfortable. Cecil sniggered.  
"I think you like telling this story almost as much as I like hearing it."

"Mmhmm I think you are right. We gave up on taking turns and took the rest of our clothes off. Earl invited me onto the bed beside him and we lay there naked and hard and not sure who was going to take charge. I didn't want to be pushy or rude, but I didn't want to seem unenthusiastic so I asked Earl if it was okay for me to suck his cock first. He said yes so I built up the pillows at the head of the bed and got him to lie back with his knees up and apart they way you tell me to when you suck me off because I like to see your ass. I lay on my front with my arms hooked around his thighs and... Ceece, lie on your back you cheat... and I licked all around the base of his lovely cock and back over his balls. I used my teeth carefully and he really liked that. Next I kissed and sucked up his shaft to the tip and flicked my tongue over it a few times. Mmhmm he got real twitchy when I got my fingers under his balls at the same time."

Carlos watched Cecil flop over and adjust his shorts for comfort. "You want to take those off?"  
Cecil nodded. Carlos slipped his own shorts off then helped Cecil out of his. He sighed, ghosting a breath over Cecil's erection and making him whimper. "Mmhmm, I could fuck myself on you right now. I could lick you and suck you until you can hardly stand it then I could ride you hard."  
Cecil tensed and arched, cock seeking Carlos's lips, but Carlos rolled away.

"Back to the story. Earl got real vocal, does he do that with you? Mmm, I licked all up his cock again and sucked the tip into my mouth. I flicked my tongue all over, wherever I could reach, finding out where he liked the most stimulation. It's a little off-centre. Did you know that?" Carlos leaned close to Cecil's ear again. "Did you find out the first time you had Earls' nice cock in your mouth? Did you flick your tongue just under the head and just off centre and did he make that amazing sound in his throat?'  
Cecil whimpered and nodded and shoved his hands under his own ass.  
Carlos sighed. "Earl is so beautiful. You are so beautiful too and I am so lucky. Scientifically it is incomprehensible how you can both be so different and yet so... so--"  
"Carlos! Fuck! Story!"

"Fine. So I am face down between Earl's thighs, Earl's cock in my mouth and his balls by my fingertips and he's struggling to stay still. I can tell he's begging to fuck my mouth because he is literally begging me to let him grab my hair and thrust that perfectly proportioned cock down my throat. So I started moving my head up and down, slow at first, and he grabbed a handful of my hair but let go when I matched my pace to suit him. When I felt him start to lose it I slowed right down and he came in, like, seven or eight bursts. He panted and giggled a bit and pushed me off so I rolled onto my back."

"Nnngh, Carlos, I'm not sure I'll last the rest of the story!" Cecil rolled onto his side, facing Carlos.   
Carlos grinned at him. "Hmm, can I touch you now?"  
"Yes!"  
"Are you going to imagine what Earl might have done to me?"  
"Yes!"  
"Can I do all the things I said I would?"  
"Yes!"  
"Are you going to be thinking about what you'd like Earl to be doing to you too?"  
"Yes, just... I need... Carlos!"  
Carlos kissed Cecil once quickly. He scooted down the bed.

Later, Cecil lay back weak and giggly. Carlos grinned by his side.  
"Are you going to get Earl's description of our date when you see him on Monday?"  
Cecil laughed. "I doubt it, pass me my phone?"  
Carlos obliged and Cecil opened his messages. He found the one he wanted Carlos to read.

_Hey Ceece you never told me Carlos was such a hot fuck as well as a sweet guy! Can you ask him if he wants to come out on Monday? It's my day off and I thought we could all take Roger bowling after school._


End file.
